Checks & Balances

Poland’s Fight for the Rule of Law — and What America Can Learn

Checks & Balances

Show Notes

On this episode of Checks and Balances, Gregg Nunziata sits down with former Polish Deputy Minister of Justice Zuzanna Rudzińska-Bluszcz to discuss Poland’s struggle to defend judicial independence and restore the rule of law. Drawing on her experience as a human rights lawyer and government official, she explains how political leaders weakened independent institutions, how judges and ordinary citizens fought back, and why winning an election is only the beginning of democratic repair. Their conversation explores the lessons for Americans—and why protecting democracy also means building a government that delivers for the people it serves. Subscribe for weekly conversations about law, liberty, and the threats to both from the Society for the Rule of Law Institute.

Get full access to Checks & Balances at chkbal.substack.com/subscribe

More from Checks & Balances

Oct 27, 2026

Tom Joscelyn, principal author of the January 6 committee’s final report, joins Gregg Nunziata on Checks and Balances to discuss how conspiracy theories, social media, and political extremism are reshaping America. Joscelyn explains what the investigation revealed about Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, why he believes accountability failed, and how ideas once confined to the fringes became mainstream. They also discuss threats from the far right and far left, preserving the January 6 record, and why Joscelyn is calling for an American “reformation” rooted in constitutional principles and a better future for working families. Subscribe for more conversations about law, liberty, and defending the Constitution.

Oct 15, 2026

Who should control your data—and what happens when that power is abused? Gregg Nunziata talks with former DHS Chief Privacy Officer Nuala O’Connor about government overreach, digital privacy, and why AI companies must play by the same rules as everyone else. Also: What does it mean to protect liberty and the rule of law in an increasingly connected world? Listen to Checks & Balances, a podcast of the Society for the Rule of Law Institute.

Oct 7, 2026

Former FEC Chairman Trevor Potter joins Gregg Nunziata to explain how America’s election safeguards have weakened—and why the Trump administration’s efforts to expand federal control over elections deserve close scrutiny. They discuss the collapse of meaningful FEC enforcement, potential voter-roll purges, federal involvement at polling places, threats to the certification process, and the legal preparations underway to protect the midterms. Potter also reflects on campaign-finance reform, his work with John McCain, and the founding of the Campaign Legal Center. Subscribe to Checks and Balances for weekly conversations about law, liberty, and the threats facing both in America today.

Sep 30, 2026

What happens when winning elections becomes more important than the principles a movement claims to defend? Gregg Nunziata talks with Reason senior editor Stephanie Slade about her new book, “Fusionism: Liberty, Virtue, and the Future of the American Right,” and whether conservatism can reclaim its commitment to freedom, faith, and the rule of law.

Sep 25, 2026

Historian Timothy Ryback joins Gregg Nunziata on Checks & Balances to discuss his book, 53 Days, and the decisions that helped Hitler dismantle Germany’s democracy in 1933. They examine the journalists and lawyers who resisted, the politicians who recognized the danger but voted to give Hitler power, and what this history can—and cannot—tell us about America today.

See all episodes →